The next day, we started doing laundry early in the morning.
Tan rubbed soap on the collar and sleeves of the shirt. His hands moved skillfully. It seemed like he had done this a lot before. Every time he wrung the laundry by hand, dirty water gushed out. When the shirt was somewhat clean, I put it in the bucket I was standing next to.
He picked up the next piece of laundry and gestured.
"Professor, you need to move."
"Yeah."
I suddenly came to my senses and started moving my feet again. The laundry was soaked. The sunlight stung my eyes.
I don't think Joshua Basatia Vintescaya's life was all good. However, it seemed like he lived a relatively comfortable life.
If he didn't have a cook or a maid, he would have had to move around a lot. Cooking and washing dishes took a lot of time, but laundry took even more. It was also complicated.
The way you treat the fabric depends on the material. Tan explained it in detail, but no matter how much I looked at it, it all looked the same to me. When I muttered a little, he shrugged his shoulders as if it was no big deal.
"Yeah, you get used to it after a while."
We stood side by side, wringing out the clothes. Then we hung them up on a line strung across the yard. The wind blew, carrying the scent of soap.
I woke up, cooked breakfast, washed the dishes, and then went outside to wash and hang the clothes. I was tired and hungry, and my head was spinning.
Tan came over and patted me on the shoulder.
"What's wrong? Are you tired?"
"I feel like I'm always doing laundry. I work non-stop, and it never seems to end."
"That's because you take off your clothes after wearing them once. From now on, wear them two or three times before you wash them. It'll be less work, and you'll save on soap. It'll also be better for the fabric."
"It feels weird to wear clothes that I've already worn."
"You're being picky."
"Am I?"
We chatted as we headed to the kitchen. Then we stood side by side and made lunch.
I carefully sliced the bread, making sure not to cut my fingers. My hands were shaking slightly as I held the knife.
Tan quickly chopped the vegetables into uniform pieces and tossed them into a bowl. He added cooked beans and drizzled on a sesame oil-based sauce, then tossed everything together. Sausages sizzled in tomato sauce on the stovetop.
I finished slicing the bread and put it in a concave basket. I reached for another piece of bread, but Tan snatched it away and handed me an egg instead.
"Make an omelet. It's good to practice until you get the hang of it."
"Okay."
I carefully tapped the egg on the edge of the bowl. It cracked open with a sharp tap. The eggshell broke into a few pieces, but it wasn't too bad. For some reason, I had a feeling that my omelet would turn out really well today.
And sure enough, the omelet turned out great. The edges stuck to the pan a bit because I didn't use enough oil, but it still tasted good. The other dishes were also delicious, and Tan's salad had a particularly nice texture.
Tan sliced the sausages into large pieces and said,
"After lunch, we'll clean up the warehouse. Once we put all that stuff away, I'll go to your room and look for the money bag."
"Okay. If you happen to find anything related to Albert Letier while you're looking through things, let me know. Oh, and should I sign this contract?"
"You mean you just want me to tell you if I find anything while I'm working? That's fine. I'll let you know if it seems like a big deal."
"Got it."
"Do you want some milk?"
I shook my head and cut the omelet into small pieces with my fork. I didn't want to leave any of it behind since I had worked so hard to make it.
Tan took out some milk from the refrigerator and sliced some more bread. Then he asked, as if he had suddenly remembered something.
"I'm thinking of making pancakes for dinner. Is there anything else you want me to make?"
"Grilled eel?"
"What?"
"It smells like pepper and cloves, and it's delicious."
"I can't make that. Anything else?"
"How about a clear soup made with shredded chicken? What do you think?"
"That sounds doable. I'll have to go to the market to buy some chicken."
I felt happy as I thought about the white, steaming soup. A sudden thought occurred to me, and I asked:
"What do you want to eat?"
"It's okay. I'm not picky about food. Don't we have to go to the market again? It's a waste of time to just go to buy chicken."
I thought of the closet I had seen that morning. It was empty.
Tan said that the laundry would dry by tomorrow if the weather was good. But no matter how I thought about it, I needed to buy more clothes.
It was still autumn, but winter was coming soon. I didn't have any casual clothes in my closet other than suits. I also needed a thicker nightgown. And come to think of it, I didn't have any perfume.
"Do you know where there's a tailor?"
"I think there's one on Workshop Street."
From Tan's explanation, it seemed like I could find most of what I needed on Workshop Street.
We hurriedly finished our meal. After washing the dishes, I went back to the bedroom and changed into my outerwear. Tan just grabbed his coat and followed me out.